Or High Water
by esuterutomoru
Summary: World-renowned Hunter, Ging Freeccs, is looking for a ship and a crew for an expedition he had in mind. He stumbles upon a pirate captain that might just be the one he's seeking. Ging x OC, AU-ish?
1. Chapter 1

_**Or High Water - Part I**_

'_Who names a bar The Pit nowadays?'_, was the first thought that crossed the mind of world-renowned hunter Ging Freecss when he looked at the swaying, worse-for-wear building. The lights were on despite the odd hour and a promising scent of food was clinging to the old brick walls. Experience dictated that he would never find a better place in the tiny coastal village.

Stepping in, he tossed a brusque greeting and some coin to the meaty, weather-beaten man behind the bar and asked for a mug of ale. His rumpled appearance earned him a little more foam than he would have liked, but a thirsty man couldn't be picky. He downed his drink in three huge gulps and turned towards what seemed to be the main attraction of the bar: a young woman kicking the ass of men twice her size in arm wrestling. Interesting, to say the least.

With his hands stuffed into his pockets, Ging ambled over, maneuvering smoothly around badly balanced drunkards and a few rowdy youths who were looking for trouble. He steered to the right of the lady's current opponent and got a good, long look at her. She was of average build upon first glance with an above average bosom shown in a cleavage that was generous on the eyes. Her mess of non-descript brown hair tumbled in tousled waves onto her shoulders, framing a simple face that the flush of wine and excitement did wonders to. Her eyes were startling; they lacked color almost entirely, the pale blue irises eerily melting into the sclera with the pupils black as coal in contrast. When she laughed, she showed teeth far better than most sailors' and she tended to end her bouts of merriment in little fits of hitched giggles that sounded annoying at first… showing their charm only if one dropped his gaze lower and watched things bounce.

She was a strange and delightful creature and she was a cheater.

Ging smiled to himself, indulging in the struggles of the man she was currently competing against. He was putting all his weight into the push, his arm bulging painfully as he seethed through his teeth. Veins began popping on his forehead with the exertion, his eyes almost watered. The lady captain stood her ground without even breaking a sweat.

As far as he could judge however, Ging was not the only person around that understood that the man had no chance to beat her. A couple of lads in mismatched clothing were roaring 'Captain!' at the top of their lungs, already grinning. Gold was piling up in front of the woman and they would probably all get a few nickels.

With a sudden, impulsive push from her, the man went down groaning. In obvious, strained pain he rubbed his arm, bemoaning his misfortune. "An iron grip…!" He wailed as he got up and shambled across to the bar to get another drink on what little money he had left after losing to the mystery captainess. Ging stifled the grin that was threatening to ruin his image of a regular observer; that man had been closer to the truth than he knew.

"Anyone else~?" The lady pirate asked, fanning herself with her feathered hat for show. Her men howled in amusement, cheering her title in intoxicated good mood.

Ging almost laughed seeing that. He took the vacant seat and rested his right elbow on the table. When he spoke, he aimed to keep his voice light though he was already suspecting he would not be able to fool her with the act. "I'm next. I'm left handed but I can make an exception tonight. Does that work with you, Miss?"

She looked at him with those strange eyes, head on, no fear. Her eyes showed no recognition, but her joyful smile froze and began slipping off her face. Ging tamed his pleased smirk into a smile and wiggled his fingers. He knew she understood the threat he posed, but he wanted to push her just a bit further. He cleared his throat and shifted in his seat expectantly, going as far as to begin tapping his foot on the floor.

He saw the nervous kick in her pulse as a tiny throb at the side of her neck. She leaned back and hastily began clawing the gold into her already sagging pouch. Quite the fortune there, Ging saw, but he didn't care for the gold. What, or rather the person he cared for was the owner of that playfully apologetic tone that was chiming, "I'm done for the night! Look how late it is, I think I'll be heading back to my little boat. Sorryyy~"

One more little push… "Come now… let me be your last for the evening?" Ging reached out to grab her wrist. It should have been too quick for a regular person to respond, but he was already aware the woman was no simple sailor. Her knifetip grazed his palm in a hair-thin arc as he yanked his hand back from its vicious slash. She had honest to god aimed to cut his fingers clean off. Perhaps the idea of it should have been frightening to a simple person, but Ging was a hunter. He just smiled and allowed the excited shiver to run its course down his back. He often said there was no rule what made a person special to someone. Their eyes, their laugh, their views of the world… or the fact that they had the guts to try and fight back… whatever it was, interest just happened. And as Ging had always told his cousin Mito, to know someone, first find out what makes them angry. With the captainess, he was succeeding.

"...seems like you're scared of me. Why?" He got up from his seat with a clatter, gaze still fastened on the woman's eyes, watching them change up close. As fury and desperation drew wrinkles around them and curved her lips down, a strange sort of beauty showed in her that hadn't been there before. Her face was the mask of a warrior, someone ready to fight and kill. She never looked away. From her annoying little cute giggle one never would have guessed what lay beneath. And Ging, in his own words, always desired what he couldn't see. Grinning now, he went on, "Afraid I'll expose you as a cheater?"

He was drawing unwanted attention to the two of them with that word, putting her into a tight situation. Eyes were beginning to clear of drunken awe, filling with suspicion. Ging saw her flick her gaze around as she stood, evaluating her chances at escape. "Alright, lads!" She called the attention of her own, her hand inching towards the belt hanging around her hips. "Back home!"

Ging knew what she was going to do before she even grasped the pistol. He saw her steer discreetly to the left and then he shut his eyes. There was a bang and the lights went out, blinding everyone unprepared for a split second. It would be enough for her to dive for the window undetected. Eyes open and fully adjusted to the darkness, Ging saw her climb through it and couldn't help but whistle at the silhouette her tight trousers allowed.

While the men around him roared and piled up in a mess at the small door (they all tried to cram through it at once), he bent down to pick up a couple of coins she'd missed, pocketing them. '_I never even got her name…'_ He flipped the last coin and caught it on the thin sides between two fingers in mid-twist. '_...well, there's always a next time._'

He stepped out of the way of a flying body just in time, putting the coin away to go with the rest. Seeing that the fight was rapidly becoming bloody, he decided to follow his mystery lady's route and climb through the window. With mild amusement, he thought he probably failed to look as fascinating as she had while hauling herself over the windowsill. Then again, he lacked the leather trousers.

**TBC**


	2. Chapter 2

_**Or High Water - Part II**_

Captain Ari - Ariesu of the once-noble Barajishi family - arrived back to her three-mast vessel, the Exiled Princess, somewhat out of breath. She had a bit of headstart on the angry mob at her heels, but she wasn't comfortable enough with it to walk. She had run all the way back to the ship, weaving her way down the maze-like short streets of the village.

She climbed aboard, pressed her hands to her knees and breathed deeply, calming her hammering heart the best she could. That stranger in the inn had given her the creeps, not just with his keen eyes but the sort of strength he was emanating; something not entirely human, like he had meddled with things that weren't of this world. She didn't like to think she had been frightened; she preferred to dismiss it as being knocked out of her element for a moment.

Straightening, she smothered her hat onto her head and puffed her reddened cheeks up in indignance. '_That jerk…! What right did he have to treat me that way?!'_ She raised her right hand and curled then opened her fingers once. With the glove on, it looked like any other human hand, really. She had oiled the joints just this evening; the automail didn't make a single sound. '_He shouldn't have known, yet he had. The only other person to have realized it had been that insufferable rogue, Izaya...'_ She paused, swallowing a tiny squeal that threatened to bubble from her at the thought of the man. She had encountered him a few times and their meetings invariably ended in some sort of feud which then led to… things she was sometimes ashamed of, but mostly excited about. In her opinion, there was no resisting Izaya's charms, so it was difficult to feel bad about giving in to them.

Her crew began to board the ship too. Most of them were out of breath but their shining faces showed they still feared nothing and saw this latest little brawl and chase as just another adventure she had led them to. She tossed two gold coins to each man and still had plenty left for herself; the night's pickings had been great despite the interruption. As they pocketed their coins, she could not help but wonder. With her reputation soon to be soiled with rumors of her as a cheater, how many would leave her when she could not provide for them anymore?

"Alrighty, lads!" She yelled. "Set sail! To open waters, I want to be in the next port by noon for a good, warm lunch!" She was answered with a general cheer of 'aye!' before the men went to work according to orders, drawing up the anchor and steering the ship out from the dock.

Tossing the streets one last look, Ariesu concluded that they had safely escaped the angry mob and perhaps that mean stranger too. With inexplicable unease still in the pit of her stomach, she turned to walk down to her cabin. Removing her hat, she unlatched the door and stepped in.

"Yo-"

The man barely had time to try and finish that cheerful greeting; Ariesu had stooped, pulled one of her daggers from her boot and tossed it at him. It flew past his face as he moved away, and landed in the wood behind, four of the seven inches blade lodged in. Ariesu drew her scimitar next, not fooled by the other's raised hands. "Get off of my ship!"

"I guess I could swim ashore, but I prefer my clothes dry." The man said, giving the curved blade of the sword a brief glance before returning his clever carnelian eyes to Ariesu's own. "Besides, I'm here with an offer."

"You have some nerve!" She chided, the tip of her weapon firmly pointed at him, as though trying to keep him a safe distance away. "Ruining my evening and then coming here to negotiate! I'm not dumb, you know! I said get off my ship!"

"I heard you the first time. My answer is the same." He sighed, slipping off from the heavy oak desk he had been sitting on. "Now, could you put that away? It's making me think you want to cut me again."

When his feet touched the floor, Ariesu knew it made no sound. She wouldn't have been able to say she had heard so because the waves licking around the ship outside were blocking out most soft sounds, but she had seen the way his toes touched the wood. She had only seen cats move that way before. Clearly, he was something superhuman.

"I will cut you if you come any closer!" She insisted, wrapping her free hand around the hilt of her other sword. "Who are you anyways? What business do you have with me?"

"That's overkill, don't you think…?" The man muttered when he saw her grab the other scimitar. His hands were still raised in a placating manner… which could easily turn into a free-hand attack, Ariesu knew. She needed to be on her guard. "My name's Ging Freecss. I'm a hunter… and I'm looking for a good ship with a-"

"You're NOT taking the Princess from me!" She screamed, more panic in her voice than she had first intended there to be. She pressed her lips together tight and stepped closer, tears springing to her eyes unbidden. Fury coursed through her, desperate, unyielding, frightened fury. Her voice rose in a yell again, but this time her panic was paired with a spite that burned. "Over my DEAD BODY, you hear me?!" She took another step closer, drew the other sword and pointed both at Ging. She was ready to kill again, face setting in that vicious mask she was not aware of herself. "Get OFF of my ship or I'll-"

"I don't want to take it, I'm trying to say I want to hire you!" Ging didn't back away, not even when the tips of the scimitars were touching his chest through his clothes. The way he looked at her wavered her anger despite her better judgement. There was an unabating passion in his eyes, and feverish, almost childlike curiosity. "I have an expedition in mind. To lands yet undiscovered. That can't leave a captainess like you cold, can it?"

"I don't believe you." She said, but she already did. Her lips melted from the harsh snarl they were set in into a soft, pouty expression. She was feeling less furious by the second. Hurt was showing now, and sadness, tumbling from her lips before she could censor the emotions in her words. "You've exposed me back in the bar… what good was that for? Word will go around… how do I feed my men? Sailors are always hungry, you know?"

His face screwed up oddly and his eyes shifted away almost immediately. He didn't seem to want to answer at all. Eventually, he muttered something under his breath and Ariesu's eyebrows knitted. She poked his chest a little with the tips of her swords to emphasise she was expecting a proper answer. "What was that?" She demanded, cheeks beginning to puff with annoyance. "Speak up, mister!"

"I said it was a spur of the moment!" Ging snapped, smacking the scimitars away. With the tips pressed into his shirt, the fabric tore open and he grunted in dismay. "Oh joy!" His eyes flicked back to hers and Ariesu saw his eyebrow tensing, about to twitch. "What does that matter now, anyways?! What's done is done!"

"Oh you can say that now, can't you?!" She returned the scimitars to his body, now crossing in front of his neck. His eyes hardened into a glare with that threat but she would not start fearing him now. Not when he was obviously flushing in the face with something akin to guilt. "Spur of the moment! My reputation will be ruined on your spur of the moment and my men will have to go back to starvation and living from one day to the next! What spur of the moment, you cur!" She stomped, her foot thudding hard on the wooden planks beneath.

"Cur?!" He echoed incredulously. "Where did that come from?!"

"Did you LOOK in the mirror lately?!" She flicked her wrist and the blade of her scimitar turned towards his chin, brushing over the stubble with a soft, scraping noise. No harm done, except perhaps to his oversized pride. Served him right, she thought. "You're obviously a messy, scruffy, good-for-nothing-"

"Oh so SORRY I'm not a clean-shaven officeboy!" He snapped, halting her tirade and nicking himself on the blade of her sword. "Ow! You're an idiot!"

"YOU'RE the idiot!" She yanked her scimitars back and sheathed both, pulling out a clean handkerchief to press it to the small, bleeding wound on the left side of his chin. "Who told you to mangle yourself on my sword, idiot?!" She pursed her lips, but it rather ended up as a pout as she glared up at him. "Idiot! Idiot hunter! Stupid!"

"Shut up!" Ging growled, grabbing both her wrists all of a sudden. The tiny nick on his jaw line was barely bleeding now. The handkerchief was still clutched tight between Ariesu's fingers. "Want me to shake you, aaah?!"

She watched his eyebrow twitch, his lips curled down in irritation, his carnelian eyes glowing. He was clearly unable to properly display emotions but she was not about to take mercy on him for it. "You're a childish, egomaniac dick!" She sniffed. She tried pulling on her wrists but found him much too strong for her. "Choke on it!"

"What did you just-" He did begin to shake her, but right after the first yank her foot collided with his shin, earning her a tut of the tongue and nothing more. "Tch! You want to play dirty, I can play dirty!" He whirled around, smothering her into the wall behind. "Take back what you just said!"

"Jerk!" Ariesu yelled, kicking out again, getting blocked this time… and god, it hurt, it did. "Nh…" She bit on her lip after that tiny noise that escaped her and hissed hard, squeezing her eyes shut. Her foot was like an extension of her leg made entirely of blinding pain, like she had just kicked a concrete wall full force, not a human being. The ache rang through her unforgiving and her eyes watered behind the lids. She exhaled through her nose and pressed her tongue to the roof of her mouth so she wouldn't scream.

"Serves you right, now take it back!" Ging said… then fell quiet at once. His hands slackened around her wrists and she could have wondered why, what made him falter in his anger, but she didn't want to. Her hand pulled free, shot across her body, grabbed the knife in the wall beside her head and yanked it out of the wood with a mighty sob. She glared at the man through her tears as she held the dagger in front of her. Her teeth showed between her lips and she shivered against the wall, face tight and grim.

She knew how much weaker she was than him and still she stood defiant. "...you've exposed me." She seethed between lips that felt achingly numb. "You've ruined my reputation. You've starved my men. I don't care what spur of the moment made you do what you did, but I want you to admit you've wronged me!" Her lips trembled and she struggled to hold them stiff as she needed them to be. "Ari-chan is DONE taking anyone's shit!"

**TBC**


	3. Chapter 3

_**Or High Water - Part III**_

Ging was melting - badly. He could hardly believe his ears or his eyes. There stood the woman in front of him, this woman he had wronged - '_And worse, hurt!_' - and she was speaking in the harshest tone he had ever heard from any member of the fairer sex and she was referring to herself in the third person. Paradoxical, and somehow sweet. Obviously, the captainess calling herself Ari-chan was not only a gutsy, free-spirited, tough little cookie, but also an awfully adorable one. It was baffling, really, how she managed to be the perfect epitome of the old saying 'Hell hath no fury...' while still retaining an air of inexplicable innocence around her. Possibly, that purity was something that could never be taken from her. It seemed to be a deeply ingrained part of her personality that no inner or outer influence could erase.

She was shaking alright, but he was sure it wasn't from fright. If he had to judge, he'd say it was both the pain and the adrenaline that made her body rattle. She wasn't even a hunter. There were men in his own field of expertise taller and physically stronger than her that feared him (_rightfully_). Ariesu, even after realizing how much stronger he was than her, would not curl up whining.

Look at her glare; not even the tears took away the edge of it. She was angry with him, raging, and he knew it could deepen into resentment if he was careless. He couldn't allow that to happen, not with her. It would be foolish to underestimate the feral, untrained Nen oozing from her with the deadly Limitation she had unwittingly placed upon herself. '_Over her dead body, huh…?'_ It would be beyond pointless to say he had been right, that she had been cheating. The money she had won was from dunkards in a bar - money that probably would have ended up wasted either way. She didn't see anything wrong with what she had been doing and if he was honest, he didn't so much either. That wasn't the point anyways.

The point was - he now saw clearly - that he wanted this woman to stop looking at him as an enemy. So he took a deep breath, quietened his pride, and said, "...I've wronged you."

She didn't answer. He could have reached out to caress her, brush her tears away, take her weapon, but touching her now would have been intrusive. He knew instinctively that if he had tried to patronize her in any way just then, he would have ended up with a few new cuts on his hand. So he waited, standing her gaze.

As they stood there in silence, he was reminded of a childhood memory. He couldn't have been younger than five or six. He had been a rascal all his life, running off, getting lost in the forest for hours, foraging, hunting, building nests with birds, anything one could imagine doing in a forest. That day he had been climbing some cliffs for some rare eggs or something like that, he wasn't sure what his initial goal had been because that moment overshadowed everything. That moment when he had seen the Pallas' cat. It had been a ball of grey fur on one of the cliffs, a grumpy little creature soaking in the warm summer sun. He remembered the ecstasy of the find, how flustered he had felt when glimpsing the rare animal, how sweaty his palms had become almost at once, how the childish curiosity had deepened into a very adult lust for knowledge. He had climbed up on its cliff, crouched and reached out a hand towards it, friendly like he had always been with any animal. The Pallas' cat had immediately begun hissing and seething. He hadn't understood why at first. He had always been exceptionally good with animals! Most of them took to him as though he had been one of them! It had taken an unusually lot of time and cajoling for the agitated cat to allow him in petting distance, but when it finally happened, he only needed to touch her belly and he understood. The cat had left him with a badly bleeding wound on his hand and an embarrassing, magical experience that still made him feel a little nervous.

Yes, this situation was not much different from that one, even if Ariesu was a human being and probably not pregnant.

Finally, her shoulders were easing up. Her trembling was subsiding and her eyes were clearing of the anger. "...you're awful strong." She said. Simple, but the absolute truth and Ging understood what she was implying.

"I swear I'm not going to hurt you." He paused when her eyes narrowed a fraction. '_Ready to claw me, just like that cat.'_ Ging thought, before adding,"Or your crew."

It took another moment, but she was lowering her dagger. Gingerly, she slipped it into her belt; in her reach, but harmless for now. She caught her lower lip between her teeth, nibbling on it. He stared, flabbergasted at the girly, vulnerable gesture. The vague feeling that had been with him since the moment he first laid eyes on her finally turned into a conscious thought.

'_Geez, she's cute.'_

"Let's make that deal." Ging said carefully. He chanced a smile, coaxing. "A written one, with witnesses."

"No." Ariesu shook her head. He felt the familiar churn of annoyance in his stomach when she pushed herself away from the wall. Her steps were shaky when she walked and Ging noted her limping with a pang of guilt. "You haven't seen me captaining yet. A good ship is not everything…" She picked up the hat she had dropped and this time he averted his eyes, however sulky he felt about not getting another peek. It just didn't feel appropriate at the moment. When he looked again she had straightened the feathered hat on her head and she was also chancing a smile, although a timid one. "See if you like what I do, too," She paused, knitted her eyebrows in a peculiar, bemused expression and finished, "Ging-san?"

'_Cute. Really, awfully cute.'_

Ging looked away, aware of the rush of heat in his cheeks (and southwards, no saving face about that) and not entirely comfortable with it. "That's my name, yes. You've never told me yours." He muttered.

For some reason, that caused a laugh to bubble from her. Her cheeks were a pleasant pink that brought out her strange eyes even more. He couldn't help glancing from the corner of his eyes. There came the annoying hitching giggle… that made things bounce so nicely. Couldn't hate it even if he tried. "I'm Ariesu." She said, dropping her gaze as though she was about to admit to a crime. "I don't really have a surname anymore. I was once of the Barajishi house… now I'm a Captain. That is all." She shrugged (_bounce~_) then turned and opened the door of her cabin. "Come with me, Ging-san… um, please."

There was the explanation to the strange aura of innocence she carried; she was of noble blood, a sheltered flower… that sprouted the sharpest of thorns while on the sea. He stepped out after her, gaze falling to her right shoulder under the tumble of messy brown waves falling down her back. From a corner of his mind, like a slap came the obvious he had failed to acknowledge: at some point in her life, in some way, she had lost an arm.

Captain Ariesu wasn't exceptionally beautiful in the conventional sense; there were at least a hundred other women Ging could have named that were obviously prettier than her. And still he doubted that any of them could measure up to her.

The darkness off the corridor seemed to be saying, 'It's okay'. There was no one else in sight and the feeling was sudden and fresh in him. His hand wrapped around her wrist, halting her. When she stopped to turn towards him, her colorless eyes were wide with innocent confusion. It should have changed his mind, god knows, maybe he was a bad man for finding that look arousing, but he did and he was drawing her closer, sliding his other hand onto her hip without hesitation.

"Ging-san…?" Her soft voice stumbled forward in a rushed, surprised whisper. She slipped from his hold and stepped back, but he wouldn't have that, how could he? He was a hunter, hunting was what he was best at. He came after her, pushing her hands out of the way every time she touched them to his chest in a feeble attempt at hindering him.

It was a strange dance they danced across the corridor, finally stopping with her back smacking into the closed door at the far end. The knob dug into her hip and she shifted to the side with a little whine. His hand took the knob's place, fingers sinking into her supple flesh. He had expected it, of course he had, but her cute, high-pitched squeak still coaxed a fresh throb of excitement from him. Her hand was on his own a moment later, her gloved fingers clawing meekly, almost for show. She never turned her head from him when he rested his other hand against the door and leaned in closer.

Her eyes were falling shut, he saw her lashes tremble once before stilling completely and he couldn't help being fascinated with the sight. No, she wasn't a conventional beauty, but since when did he care about convention? She was gorgeous to him. He wanted her. And he'll be damned if she didn't want him back.

Just before their lips touched, she whispered something that made no sense to his desire-muddled brain. Then the ship suddenly tilted to the right and they both stumbled, awkwardly hanging onto each other as they caught their footing. Ging looked at her, but she was no longer with him. Her eyes were wild, teeth grinding behind her stiff lips as she focused on the yelling of her crew.

"...that BASTARD." She snapped, turning from his arms to march up to the deck. When she threw the door open, the world tilted again and Ging held onto the wall to keep steady. Inevitably feeling somewhat dumb, he stared at her back where she stood in the doorframe, pressing her hands to either side of it. Outside someone screamed, "TELL THE CAPTAIN! IT'S BERTRAND AND THE LOST RUBY!"

"I KNOW IT ALREADY! GET THE CANNONS READY, LADS! WE WOULDN'T WANNA BE LATE FOR THAT LUNCH, WOULD WE?!" She screamed, thundering up to the deck.

A grin found its way onto Ging's face. He followed her, anxious to see who was foolish enough to come near the litter of his little Pallas' cat. '_The idiot. He's got her at a particularly bad time!'_

He paused mid-step on the stairs, his mind finally making sense of her quiet whisper before their almost-kiss. '_...she's said 'please'. That was it, right? I'm pretty sure it was...'_

**TBC**


	4. Chapter 4

_**Or High Water - Part IV**_

'_Just my luck', _Ariesu thought as she looked around, assessing the situation. While they had been patiently rocking along towards Newersport, they happened to run into the Lost Ruby and its notorious owner, who was probably headed for Littleshore, the tiny coastal village they've just left… or somewhere beyond it. A dawn mist had been concealing the Ruby and they were slowly passing it by. Captain Bertrand was apparently feeling playful: he was firing warning shots into the water to rock the Princess side to side. Ariesu wasn't feeling all that jovial about the little teasing jabs. About a year ago, that man had almost completely destroyed the Exiled Princess and had taken all provisions they've carried on board… along with something exceptionally precious to her.

As another warning shot threw waves around the Exiled Princess, Ariesu yelled her men to attention. "LOAD THE CANNONS!" She marched to the helm and took control of the ship herself. As she's said before, Ari-chan was done taking anyone's shit. Bertrand had been the last drop and he would pay for it. Teeth grinding sharp, she waited out until they seemed to be passing the Ruby by...

"ANCHORRRR!" She roared and her men shot into action immediately, dropping the heavy iron weight. With a mighty roll she steered the Princess to the right.

The Lost Ruby was a four-mast ship, larger than the Princess, but slower and its owner was arrogant because the Ruby had almost twice as many cannons as the Princess had. Captain Bertrand probably thought he could get rid of them any time he wanted. He wasn't much of a morning man though, Ariesu knew that. And she also knew the Ruby's weak spot: its stern. The Princess creaked and squealed as it turned around the back of the Ruby, rocking dangerously with the sudden swerve. Soon, its side was positioning point blank towards the stern of the larger ship and Ariesu screamed, "FIRE! SINK THAT BITCH!"

In the moment it took for her men to echo the command, she saw the crew of the Ruby scrambling over each other to do _something_. She caught sight of Bertrand too, huge and undeniably handsome, staring ahead in utter shock. He had clearly not expected the little captainess he'd once shattered to rise from her ashes so vicious. With a grin grim and beautiful, Ariesu thought, '_Good.'_

The cannons fired all at once. The blows shattered the Ruby's stern and from up close they could all see the sea roaring, finding its way inside her belly. Like a sword, Ariesu's voice came slashing through the explosions. "DRAW THE IRON UP!" The Princess was still turning, steering now to the right of the Ruby, about to crash right against it. She finally noticed Ging beside her and she grabbed his hand, yanking it to the helm, placing it around one of the knobs. "Hold her steady!"

The anchor was up and the wind caught full force into the sails. The Princess lurched forward, rocking them both. Ariesu steadied herself on Ging's arm, meeting his gaze. She could see the dark corridor, how he backed her against the door, how he looked at her then, leaning closer, gripping her hip, his fingers pressing into the soft flesh of her buttocks. Her cheeks were already red from the excitement of the skirmish, but the memory brought a fresh rush of heat to her body. She shivered, swallowing. Just five seconds, really. '_Oh gosh, I want this man… but I'm busy right now.'_

Swiftly, she turned away from the flattering obvious admiration in those clever carnelian eyes and drew one of her scimitars. She looked up and saw the sails swelling to fullness. "Serves Bertrand right… never fuck with me when the winds are in my favour…" She growled, stomping over to one of the lines. She took the blade of her sword between her teeth and climbed the rope.

When the Princess collided into the Ruby's side, both ships rocking side to side as though in a dance, she threw herself down into the other ship, rolling over on her shoulder and up to her feet again. Before she could even look around, a blade came flying towards her head. It clanged off her right fist and her left one followed smashing straight into the jaw line of her attacker. She finally had a moment to take her sword from between her teeth. "BOOAAAAAAAAARD!" She roared, but her men had already followed her example; they were hauling themselves over to the rapidly sinking Ruby. Sword found sword, bullets flew, knives slit throats. Fewer in numbers but high on triumph, Ariesu's crew was gaining the upper hand.

She switched hands with her scimitar, pressed into the crowd, cutting right and left, slitting throat, severing limbs, blocking slashes. She was riding the moment on pure instinct, barely needing to look at a face to know which man was hers. Swords and fists seemed to slow when they neared her like they were trying to press through a mass of heavy cotton. Bullets lost so much speed that she could knock them out of thin air with her sword or steel fist, changing their course to leave her unharmed.

"TO THE DECK! FIGHT! FIGHT, YOU WORTHLESS DOGS!" Fair, broad-shouldered Captain Bertrand was bellowing like a wounded bull at his men. He clambered towards Ariesu, trying to draw his pistol from his belt. That hand was soon nailed to his hip with one of her trusted daggers. "You BITCH!" He shrieked, tugging on the mauled limb, wailing as the wound opened further. Blood blackened his clothes and slowly, the colour drained from his face.

Ariesu straightened as he hobbled closer, holding his free hand over the wounded one. The dagger was in to the very hilt, impossible to remove without him fainting. Every step he took had to be sheer agony, his face tightening into a permanent mask of pain. She was watching him closely, caught the flick of his eyes. She whirled, her sword held out in a wide arc, slashing the face of the man that had sneaked up on her in half. When she faced Bertrand again, she sheathed her scimitar. He was only a few feet away, pale as parchment.

"You're right, Bert. I'm one sea-toughened bitch." Ariesu drew her own pistol and held it at his face, point blank. They locked gazes and she could almost taste his fear in the smell of his sweat. It disgusted her. But that was alright… she had grown in the last year, grown to be an even better captain. He remained the same. That was the difference between them: she worked hard while he enjoyed his comfort. "You were one of the people who helped me get here. Thanks." She lifted her pistol and shot into the air. The bang somehow sounded louder than any other before and all faces turned towards her for a moment.

"LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT!" She screamed, laughing as she smacked the stunned Bertrand over the head with the butt of her pistol. He toppled over like a sack of potatoes and Ariesu stepped over him to punch another man across the face. Her eerie eyes were gleaming, a clear, iridescent fire reflected in them. "GET THE GOODS, BOYS! THEY'LL LEARN HOW TO SWIM TODAY!"

As her men roared a cheer at her words, she made her way down to the captain's cabin. She was half-running, cutting down men that dared to stand in her way. She could feel the Ruby sinking; knew she had no time to waste. She heard her men plunging into the belly of the ship, cheering, laughing as they went, grabbing anything and everything that seemed valuable. She could hear bottles clinking, barrels rolling… they were taking the rum and wine too.

She kicked the door open to the cabin and began searching the room. She looked under the bed, in Bertrand's wardrobe, turned out the drawers of his desk. She stuffed her clothes with the gold and jewels she's found lying around. She finally found the captain's cache under the desk, a small, carved wood chest that usually held the most valuable items: maps, royal pardons, family heirlooms… her necklace of her family's crest was in there too, most likely. She picked the chest up, tried it, found it locked. '_Of course.'_ She looked around for the key, wondered if it was with Bertrand, should she go and get it…?

She took a step towards the door, then looked down when she felt she was standing in water. It was covering her feet now, no good news. There was some time, but probably not enough… she would have to try and bust the chest open. And if her necklace wasn't there…?

'_I'll just have to go on looking while I can… '_

She took out her pistol again and with a few blows of its butt she managed to smash the lock of the little chest. She opened the lid, unconsciously holding her breath. She saw maps alright, and when she pushed things around she found a couple of signet rings, a few letters, a ridiculous frilly handkerchief and… no necklace.

Panic wrenched her heart around in her chest. Her breath hitched to shallow gasps and she looked around in the cabin, as though waiting for some sign. Desperation echoed a single question in her mind, '_Where could it be? Where…?'_

"CAPTAIN!" Ariesu jumped when she heard the yell. Focused completely on the task at hand, she was confused for a moment why her men were on the ship. "WE MUST LEAVE! SHE'S GOING DOWN ANY MINUTE NOW!"

"I'LL BE RIGHT THERE!" She yelled, feeling her stomach churn as she looked at the chest again. It wasn't there! Then where was it…?!

'_...maybe it's with Bertrand...'_

Before she even finished the thought, she had grabbed the captain's cache under her right arm and dashed for the door. The water was reaching up to mid-calves now, and though it didn't slow her considerably, even the tiny difficulty in walking irritated her. She never heard the tiny splashes as coin and jewels fell from her clothes when she climbed the stairs to the deck again.

It was a mess of bodies. She tried to remember where she had been when she had spoken with the other captain but in her frenzy she couldn't recall. Her chest was pumping air to through her body in a mad race, making her lungs ache and her muscles feel full of life, like they were strange beings of their own.

Water sprayed into her face and she wiped it absently with a gloved hand. The sea opened her mouth around the ship. Screaming, she was swallowing the Ruby down.

'_Where is he? Where is he?'_

"ARIESU...!"

She turned towards the voice, looked up to see Ging staring at her from the railing of the Princess. She didn't understand the panic in his voice; did he not see she was rather busy here?! Did he not get it?! She needed to find Bertrand and get the-!

The deck swayed, began moving under her. She slid one foot back without thinking to steady herself.

"CAPTAIN…!"

"ARIESU, GET BACK HERE!"

She tore herself from his voice like some invisible force had yanked her. She suddenly remembered where she had been. She just needed to-

The Ruby was slowly tipping over, the deck tilting more under her feet. She stumbled over the arm of a corpse and fell to her knees with a groan. Blinking once, she scrambled to straighten herself again and lumbered across the deck towards where she could see the Captain's black coat. With a high, anxious gasp she knelt beside him and grabbed him by his shoulder, rolling him over. Under her arm, she still held the captain's cache. They were both sliding down along the tilting deck, but she didn't even spare a thought for the fear of drowning. Her hand shoved into all the pockets in his clothing, looking, groping. When it pushed down the front of his shirt, touching hair and a gold pendant that was grossly warm from his body heat, she felt the weight of him clinging to her other wrist.

"You'll go down with me, sea-whore…" Bertrand seethed through bloodied teeth. Ariesu looked at him, caught his green eyes for a moment and saw how ugly he was in his death. The yellow sheen of fear and decay was already on him, turning his handsome features repulsive. Had she once thought anything else of this man? How foolish she had been. This is the real Bertrand, this shriveled, colorless weakling.

"Fuck you, Bertrand." She said, because, what else was there to say? The Ruby was tipping over the 45 degree tilt and they were sliding frighteningly towards their end. Her fingers curled around the pendant and with a yank, she tore it from around his neck. She stuffed it down the front of her own shirt before taking one of her knives. They locked gazes one last time. Something in her made Bertrand's green eyes open wide in wonder.

A yell came through the roar of the sea around them. "ARIESU!"

She slammed the knife into Bertrand's throat, slashing it across with an easy motion. More blood. The captain's fingers slackened around her wrist. His hand dropped away and she swayed, trying to get to her feet, finding herself unable to make her muscles obey. In a moment of strange clarity, she felt that her scalp was cold.

A pair of arms hoisted her around her waist and then all she could remember was the spray of salt water in her face, the smell of warm sweat and the throb of intoxicated triumph in her chest. Wind through her hair, a thud and she was on her shaky feet. With its sails full, the Exiled Princess was carrying them away from the spot of raging sea that would become the Lost Ruby's grave.

Still disoriented, she glanced around at the faces surrounding her. Look at them. Her crew. Her lads. Her family. Astoundingly, she found the strength in her chilled face to smile. It hurt, but it felt like a deep breath of freedom. When she spoke, her voice was tender, but steady. "...you all did so well. No captain has better boys than you."

Her words were answered with ovation and soon a song broke on the thirsty lips of her brave sailors. They opened the newly looted bottles of rum and wine and drank a toast to their victory and a hundred to their dead.

After a swig or two of her own, Captain Ariesu passed her bottle on to a cadet and patted the top of her head. She found she had lost her hat. Tilting her head against the warm shoulder behind her, she laughed full and merry.

"...is this a bad time to bring up the deal again?"

She craned her neck and looked up at Ging behind her. She felt his hands sliding from her sides across her stomach to encircle her in an embrace. The smile on her lips felt permanent. Amazed, she saw him returning it. "Does that mean I've impressed you?"

"More than that." He whispered, and there was a distant echo of the fear in his voice from before. She understood it now and lifted her hand to run her fingers along his stubbly jaw. He nuzzled into the leather and a giggle bubbled from her at the sight. She saw him peek down into her cleavage then and she bit her lip to keep a new, embarrassed laugh at bay.

"...you're gonna sting me, aren't you?" She murmured, pressing her fingers a little tighter against his jaw to steer him. She saw how the split second of confusion gave way to the warmth of understanding in his eyes. '_Goodness, he is so handsome.'_

"I'll be careful." He promised her, and she believed him. When he bent his head towards her, she tipped her own up to meet him.

Their lips touched, and a wind whistled by. Her mouth opened with a sigh, her fingers slid up into his mess of black hair, clawing at his scalp to draw him closer. When the warmth of his tongue filled her mouth her body seized gently. Small slick noises echoed in the saltwater air around them, muting out the roaring good cheer of her crew.

His fingers sank into her body, into her stomach and her thigh, as though he was anchoring her there. She shifted, barely aware of what she was rubbing into until she heard him groan and her own throat unknotted and she could release the amazing tension in a shuddering, sweet moan.

Her eyes cracked open; his own were still closed. There was barely a breath of space between their lips and she felt his hands renewing their grip, drawing her closer to him. The one on her thigh slipped, or it was on purpose, she couldn't tell, but... she gasped, tossing her head against his shoulder. Jolts of fiery pleasure hummed between her legs, blocking all conscious thought. His mouth was on her ear, kissing, biting excitement into her, his breath shaky, a call in itself. The need to turn and kiss him again was crippling.

Her hold on the chest was slackening and it almost slipped. Frantic, she grabbed after it, knocking her steel elbow right into his gut with the motion. He grunted, she squeaked, and turned to steady him.

"G-Ging-san…!" She stammered, eyes flickering away from his one-eyed glare as he rubbed the offended spot. How could she be such a clumsy failbag?! "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to! I really- I mean! Oh no! I'll… I'll put the chest away and then… we…! Um..."

With a nonsensical grunt, he grabbed her around her waist and she found herself being steered towards her cabin. She stumbled along, feeling a little dumb as all she could do was blink helplessly. He was clutching her like a vice against his side. '_What is he going to do…?!'_

And there they were, in front of her cabin and she felt tiny and furiously excited in his hold. Just before kicking the door open, he pressed his lips to her ear again and whispered just two words, "Bad girl."

**TBC**


End file.
